It’s often said the employment market is like the housing market: sometimes it’s a sellers’ (employer) market, sometimes it’s a buyers’ (employee) market. With New Zealand’s unemployment rate at its lowest level in nearly a decade*, the employment market remains strong. Many businesses are reporting that it’s harder to find staff than at any time during the last decade.**
As the HR market has tightened and the availability of candidates has reduced, we have noticed that companies who appreciate the interview process is a two-way street, and act accordingly, seem to have the edge over others.
What do we mean by two-way street?
When we refer to a two-way street, this means that both parties understand that the role and the organisation are being interviewed as much as the candidate. Candidates are discerning: they want to understand what is in it for them, what they will get out of working for an organisation, and what an organisation has on offer to meet their needs from both a professional and personal perspective.
Some key things we have noticed that candidate-winning companies are doing
Candidate-winning companies understand that candidates will make assumptions about what it would be like to work in an organisation depending on how they are treated through the recruitment process. Organisations that are winning candidates know that the onboarding process commences as soon as a candidate applies for a job.
These companies acknowledge all applications. They move candidates through the process in a timely manner. We are often surprised when clients indicate they are really keen on a candidate – and yet they can’t meet them for a second interview for a few weeks.
An organised process
Companies that are organised already have their process determined and have the second interview time slots scheduled into the relevant diaries. Candidates like to feel that companies are really interested in them – and one of the ways employers can demonstrate this is by not dilly-dallying through the process. The efficiency of the process also indicates to a candidate that the role is important within the company. This suggests to them that their role will be valued, and hence they will be valued. As we can see, a lot of assumptions are made simply based on the length of a recruitment process.
Winning companies know that everyone in the recruitment process is a brand ambassador for the company. Some organisation may rely on their strong external brand, and candidates can be initially impressed by this. However, if the candidate’s experience doesn’t match the external brand they can quickly become disengaged and sceptical about the company.
Give candidates insights
Giving candidates insights into what it is really like to work somewhere – including the challenges – often gets candidates more excited, not less. Sometimes we see organisations trying to hide the difficulties – yet the challenge may be what excites a candidate about an opportunity. Some candidates think, “why go somewhere where it’s just ‘business as usual’… when I can go somewhere and make change, have an impact and create a legacy?”.
We have found if candidates know the challenges upfront they have time to process what that means for them and how they will approach any obstacles. Therefore, they are ready on day one with a plan. We have also seen that candidates surprised by things that have been hidden in the interview process never recover, and are soon looking for a new opportunity.
Realise candidates have options
Winning companies know that candidates have options, so they treat them with respect. Candidates will likely have other new companies vying for them, as well as their current employer putting in the hard yards to keep them when they hear one of their key talent is looking to leave. We recently heard about a manager who acted strategically by organising for a member of the senior management team to call on one of his team who he knew was looking – just to make sure that team member knew how much they were valued and how flexible the company would be to meet their needs. Whilst not putting overt pressure on their talent, they were quietly winning their heart back, and their head quickly followed.
Give feedback
Winning companies provide valuable feedback, both positive and negative. Putting effort into outlining the reasons why they liked the candidate is a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate that they have thought about why their organisation is the right one for that person to join. Winning companies also know that while a candidate might not be right for their organisation right now, they could be an ideal future customer and so always treat them fairly and with respect.
*Stuff, May 2, 2018
** Stuff, Feb 7, 2018
